Grid for ice trays



April 1 R. L. HALLok 2,547,389

GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Y Filed June 9, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 o l INVENTOR, 40m W ATTORNEY.

April 3, 1951 R. L. HALLOCK GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Filed June 9, 1937 sSheets-Sheet 2 v 7;; I NVENTOR,

4;, ATTORNEY.

April 1951 R. HALLOCK 2,547,389

GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Filed June 9, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 I NVENTOR, BY 7in ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3, 19 51 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE GRID FOR ICE TRAYSRobert Lay Hallock, Larehmont, N. Y.

Application June 9, 1937, Serial No. 147,238

13 Claims.

My invention relates to grids for ice trays. The object is to provide animproved gridwhich is effective in operation and readily manufactured.

My improved grid is shown in preferred form in the accompanyingdrawings, whereof:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section through an ice cube tray, showingthe grid therein, in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the grid;

I Fig. 3 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view, partly in section, taken on line 4--4 of Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is an elevational view of a transverse grid wall or wall piece;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a longitudinal wall piece; I

Fig. 9 is an end view; Fig 10 shows the grid bowed;

Fig. 11 shows how the lever is connected to the spring member;

Fig. 12 is taken on the line I2-I2 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a modified form of grid embodying theinvention;

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of an element of the grid shown in Fig.13; and

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on the line I5I5 of Fig. 14.

The grid shown in Figs. 1-12 includes a U- shaped spring member I0 whichextends longitudinally of the tray H and touches the bottom and endwalls. Member II] is formed with shoulders or ears I2 in which aretransversely spaced apertures or holes I3. Member I0 is provided withlong apertures or slits l4. Slits I4 are longitudinally aligned and arein the plane of the longitudinal wall or dividing member of the grid.The apertures I3 are in the planes of the transverse grid walls. MemberID may be stamped .out 'of flat stock and then bent to form andtempered. It may be made of suitable steel stock. It is looped at theends to provide journals or eyes for pivot pins l5 on which are mountedlevers or handles I6.

The transverse walls I! are alike and are shown in Fig. 7. They may bepunched from fiat stock and may be, for example, made of steel,aluminum, brass or other metal, or even non-metallic material, treatedelectrically, chrome or nickel plated, and/or waxed. I prefer stainlesssteel.

head.

cesses l8.

and 2? on one side.

Walls 3? extend the width of the tray and are apertured at I8 and I9,that is, at the top and bottom center, to provide recessesfor receptionof projections on the longitudinal wall pieces. Wall I? is cut at 2!] tostraddle spring bar Ill. The intermediate projections 2| slip intoapertures I 3. Projections 2| are upset (like heading a rivet) inapertures I3 to position wall l! on the spring bar. The apertures I3 maybe tapered outwardly downwards, as for a countersunk rivet It isdesirable that the bottom edges of wall I? and the bottom of springmember In and the bottoms of projections 21 be aligned and substantiallyin contact with the bottom of the tray. O-n punching, projections 2| arepreferably somewhat extended beyond the bottom edge of the wall ingeneral to give additional material to permit the upsetting.

The longitudinal wall pieces are of two kinds, the end pieces 24 and theintermediate pieces 25. One wall member 25 is shown in Fig. 8. Thesepieces may also be formed from flat stock in a punch press. Wall 25 hasofiset bottom projections 26' which fit into apertures I9 of transversewalls I'i. The projections are oppositely offset so that projections onadjacent wall pieces 25 can be held in the same aperture I9 in over.-lapping relation. Similarly, offset projections or extensions 2'! areprovided at the upper corners of walls 25. These projections arehook-shaped to provide movement limiting abutments. The necks ofprojections 21 are positioned in apertures I8. Theends extends below thebottoms of re- As in the case of projections 26, projections 2i onadjacent walls 25 overlap in the same recess 8. The lower parts of walls25 have central extensions 28 which extend into slits I4. End wallpieces 24 are made to fit the spring bars i0. They are provided withprojections 26 The other side sets into slotting in spring bar H]. Thepin I5 passes through plate 24.

In assembling the grid, the projections 21 of walls 25 are first slippedover walls I! and projections 26 slid into recesses i9, after whichprojections 2I may be pushed into apertures I3 and upset.

Levers I6 are provided with hand grips SI] and abutments 3| (Fig, 11)which, on lifting levers I6,

contact the outside of spring bar II) ,at points below the .axis of thelevers, whereby, onpushing the levers further apart, the spring bar I!)is bowed, as shown in Fig. 10. End walls 24 are provided with upstandingparts 32 which constrtute rests for levers 3B in lowered positions.

It will be seen that the walls 25 are held in position because theprojections 25 are held between walls 11 and spring bar ill. Projections2'! also act as positioning guides. The walls are tied at their lowerparts and are otherwise free for relative movement, though limited bythe length of necks of the projections 21. Fig. illustrates how thehook-like projections 2'! limit the spread or flare oi the wall parts. twill be seen that there is a uniform distribution of bending movement inthe grid as the levers are spread.

It will also be seen that the parts of spring bar [0 to the sides of theslits are bowed and that their middle parts move upwardly to exert ashearing force between the wall and the ice block attached thereto.

Levers 38 may be, and are in the form shown, made to bear against thetray in their initial movement to cause the grid with ice cubes attachedthereto to be removed from the tray. lhe

levers may press the ends of the tray from the iceblock to peel the trayfrom the ice block.

The grid illustrated in Figs. 13 to 15 differs from that shown in thepreceding figures in that the transverse walls are double, being made upof separate plates 4E! and 4! which are placed side by side and aremounted as a unit in apertures l3. Parts 45 and Al are spot-welded at 43near the outer ends and not at intermediate points. If sheets 40 and llare made of aluminum or similar metals it may be desirable to wax orotherwise treat the contacting surfaces. This is not necessary ifstainless steel is used having at least a medium polish.

'When the ice is frozen it sticks to the walls 48 and 4|. As the leversit are spread apart the grid is flared and upper parts spread apart. Iheleast resistance to spreading is at the inside contact surfaces betweenwalls m and 4|. Consequently these walls tend to separate at the top ofthe grid. Since they are held at 23, the ends will stay together as thecenter portions spread due to adhesion to the ice. Thus there is aprogressive separation of the ice and walls 4B, 41 beginning at theouter ends and the walls are gradually peeled away from the ice workinginwardly from the outer edges. The walls thus bow apart. However, as thewalls 46 and 4! are separated, projections 2'! approach each other. Whenthe walls All and 4! are separated a certain amount, the projections 27contact the walls and, as the grid is further flexed, the projections2'! pull the walls 40, 4! together again, thus pulling these walls awayfrom the ice blocks. Thus walls 41! and M are first spread apart due tosticking to the ice, and then their movement is reversed and they arebrought together due to the prongs 2'! approaching each other. Thus theice blocks are removed from the transverse walls. The bowing of theparts of the spring member between projections l2 causes an upwardcompressive force on the ice block, shearing it from the longitudinalwall.

It will be understood that variations may be 1;.

2. In a grid for ice trays, a distortable longitudinal member,individual wall pieces mounted on the longitudinal member, andoverlapping extensions on some of the wall pieces for limiting theirrelative movement on distortion of the longitudinal member.

3. In a grid for ice trays, a spring member having apertures, wallpieces having projections loosely positioned in some of said apertures,and other wall pieces having projections fixed in other apertures andholding the first-mentioned wall pieces in place.

4. In a grid for ice trays, a longitudinal spring member having slits,longitudinal wall pieces loosely mounted to in part project into saidslits, and transverse wall pieces directly mounted on the spring member,said longitudinal wall pieces having overlapping projections iii) forholding the longitudinal Wall pieces in position and limiting movementthereof.

5. In a grid for an ice tray, a flat wall, a crossing wall having aslit, at least a part of the fiat wall passing in or through the slit,the flat wall and crossing wall being tied together beyond the ends ofthe slit, and means to bow the crossing wall to exert shearing force onice attached to the flat wall.

6. In a grid for an ice tray, a longitudinal single-piece spring member,one or more levers mounted on said spring member, and transverse andlongitudinal dividing members mounted on said spring member, said springmember extending longitudinally along edges of the longitudinal wallmembers and being bent at its end so as to be of generally U-shape.

7. In a grid for an ice tray, a longitudinal single-piece spring memberof generally U-shape, one. or more levers mounted on said spring member,and dividing members mounted on said spring member and havingoverlapping and interfitting projections and recesses receiving saidprojections for positioning and limiting movement thereof.

8. A grid adapted to be bowed having doublewalled members, means tospread ice pieces stuck to said walls to spread the Walls, and means tomove the walls together to remove them from the ice pieces.

9. A grid having sets of contacting transverse Walls, longitudinal Wallmembers extending between said transverse walls, means to hold the partsso that the sets of transverse walls may be spread in flaring fashion,the transverse walls of a set being fastened in part and not fastened inpart, so as to separate on flaring the grid with ice formed thereon, andhook-like extensions on the longitudinal wall members passing across thetransverse walls and adapted to pull transverse walls of a set together.

10. A grid having a longitudinal spring mem her with apertures therein,sets of contacting transverse walls held in said apertures, the walls ofa set being secured at outer points, and hooklike members passing overthe sets of transverse walls in pairs to limit separation of and pulltogether the walls of a set.

ll. In a grid, structure for mounting pocket forming walls thereon, saidstructure being adapted to be bowed, walls mounted on said structure in.a manner to separate, and means to reverse the relative movement ofsaid walls on bowing the grid in one direction.

12. A backbone for a grid comprising a gen erally U-shaped piece ofrelatively narrow flat and forming therewith the walls of saidcompartments, the longitudinal partition being made up of a series ofsections, means connecting said sections together to be movable througha limited arc with respect to each other, means other than theconnecting means for limiting such movement of the sections, each ofsaid transverse partitions being so related to one of said sections thatthe movement of said section causes an enlargement of the correspondingice cube compartment and a breaking of the ice bond between the icecubes formed therein and the grid.

ROBERT LAY HALLOCK.

REFERENCES CiTED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date Re. 20,656 -Geyer Feb. 22, 19382,009,803 Hallock July 30, 1935 2,011,849 Chilton Aug. 20, 19352,037,517 Saler Apr. 14, 1936 2,037,520 Anderson Apr. 14, 1936 2,449,743

Hallock Sept. 21, 1948

